


Walking into the Trap

by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly



Series: Changing Fate [11]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin your temper, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Palpatine is an outright git of a bastich, convoluted sith plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 19:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6766432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Chancellor has oh so helpfully arranged a mission for the trio and ally to handle, one that could lead to peace faster.</p><p>Of course Master Yoda knows it's a trap as he takes it to Master Jinn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Walking into the Trap

Obi-Wan settled back in the co-pilot seat, breathing easier now that they had completed the Geonosis run, and dropped off the squad that had accompanied them. Kamino was to be held by the clones, and the little sabotage on Geonosis should buy them more time.

"We're going to have to inform the Senate, Qui-Gon. They need capital ships and space protection," Obi-Wan said as his lover settled in between them. "If what we heard of Ryloth is true, that the Separatists have managed to invade and hold it, surely we can make a case for protecting the Army that was created, no matter how secretly, to prepare for this war the Separatists want."

"Except every move we make now, whether it is using or protecting the clones, is a step further down the war path, Obi-Wan, and giving the Chancellor just what he wants," Anakin argued. "We have to find a way to free Ryloth, yes, but we have to break the Separatists' power and keep it from being a galaxy-wide threat!"

Invading Ryloth, in the direct aftermath of Tyranus's death, struck Obi-Wan as a pure power-play within the leaders of the Separatists. It might be possible to take advantage of that, but they just didn't know enough about them yet!

"Who among the Senate is known to value peace more than war? Who can we directly approach, to introduce a bill to protect the investment made -- without our knowledge -- against the possibility of war coming no matter what?" Obi-Wan asked, phrasing it differently so Anakin could see he was looking for ways to blunt the effect.

"Chandrila, Naboo, Alderaan, Corellia… all are on record as being against war efforts, vocal supporters of negotiations," Anakin said after struggling to think through the mire that was politics.

"There are others as well," Obi-Wan agreed, before looking at Qui-Gon. "I suggest bringing a plan up to Master Plo Koon and the rest of the Council to approach the peaceful ones, both for delegations to take to the Separatist worlds, and to take charge of protecting the clones, from both the Chancellor, not that we can yet admit that part, and war, if possible."

"Good thinking, both of you," Qui-Gon told them, fingers brushing across both of their shoulders from where he stood behind them, watching the streaks of the stars. "The difficult thing here is that we also have to consider what _they_ want, which is to use the skills they know, while we guard them." 

"Let them go as security for the delegations," Anakin said. "I know, they do want to do what they were created for. I've been thinking on that, and thinking they could form detachments to senators and Jedi who go on more dangerous missions."

"That is a good point," Obi-Wan said. "So long as we make certain the situation is well-understood by all. We do not need a massacre like happened on Mandalore."

"Definitely not," Qui-Gon agreed, still aching from the Fall and loss of his Master -- so much of which could be laid at the feet of that disaster -- but taking Obi-Wan's point entirely. "And that's a good thought, Anakin. 

"It's not full-out combat, but they seem to enjoy the challenge of security and protective details, so that might do very well." 

"We'll discuss the matter with the Council, and go from there," Obi-Wan said. "Coming up with options to offer is half the work at least." 

"Just as long as the clones don't get hurt in the fallout," Anakin said, protectively.

+++++

Yoda knew the trap for what it was, but he was going to face this as a Master should, and deliver the words directly to Qui-Gon Jinn himself.

The meeting with the Senators had gone well enough. The ones seeking peace had understood that the clones had been created without Republic or Order knowledge, but they had expressed concerns over the involvement of a Master Jedi. That, added to the now public knowledge that Dooku had become a Sith Lord had left them hesitant to trust.

On the other hand, they did want to try the route of increased negotiations, with clones as security for the meetings. Unfortunately, what had begun as quiet negotiations with the peace-seekers had boiled over into the full Senate, due to Corellia's Senator wanting this fully in the open, out of distrust for the Jedi.

Yoda paused in the hall where Qui-Gon kept his quarters, leaning on his gimer stick. The Chancellor had laid it out in such a way that the trio was most at risk.

_"Of course this was all without prior knowledge, esteemed Jedi. Yet, when the latest from the Trade Federation is a demand that no peace can be had without meeting with the original parties involved in that debacle at Naboo, I feel I must ask your Order to consider making the necessary accommodations. Let the Jedi negotiators meet with the Queen of Naboo, and then go to these talks."_

It was such a bald-faced strategy to arrange the elimination of a key ally and one of the stronger teams of Jedi that Plo Koon had nearly balked outright. Yoda had stepped in, and agreed to the terms.

After, he had explained. _"Only successful, a trap is, when it is unknown. Seen, half defeated it already is."_

He hoped the trio were up to this task, and he moved forward to request admittance to the Master's quarters.

Anakin jumped up to get the door, as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were both working on their own projects of the moment, while he tinkered with a device he hoped would help immobilize droids without totally destroying them. 

"Master Yoda," he said, giving a slight nod to him. "Please come in."

Obi-Wan put his data pad down, while Qui-Gon carefully closed the actual book he had been reading. They rose from the table they'd been working at, coming into the common room to join the Master and their Padawan.

"This is a surprise," Obi-Wan said, but he knew if Yoda had come to them, they were not going to like what needed to be said. He moved the cushion that was off to one side to a spot that would be central, for which Yoda gave him a nod of gratitude. He settled on the cushion as the trio took their places. Anakin dropped on the smaller of the two sofas, while Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan took the long one.

"Danger, I bring, sadly. A plan, the Chancellor has given, for you." Yoda sighed softly. "Agree with this action, the Council does not, but peace, we must strive for. Come to you, inform you, I do. Choices are yours, but grave will be the danger as might the ends be mighty."

"There is danger all around us, Master," Qui-Gon replied, his voice soft, "and so we must. What is this plan of the Chancellor's, and what is needed of us?" 

Anakin shifted his weight, his eyes alert, and stayed silent. Nothing that came from that man could possibly be good but anything they could do to stop him would be worth trying. 

Yoda nodded at Qui-Gon's words, then explained. "Negotiations with those at Naboo, the Trade Federation demands. Send the three of you, we will. Mindful of treachery, you will be."

"After they tried to capture Anakin once?" Obi-Wan asked, unbelieving of this latest ploy.

"Do they insist on Queen Amidala being present as well?" Anakin asked, as he felt a coldness against his spine at this trap being laid out for them.

Yoda nodded at the boy, before looking at Obi-Wan. "To kill or capture, surely is their plan," he said. "Smarter you must be."

Qui-Gon was torn between disbelief at the obviousness of the trap and almost an amusement. He spoke to neither, letting his partner and padawan do the questioning first, then asked one of his own. "Has there been any decision about where these negotiations should take place?" 

That could give them an edge, if they could shift the location to somewhere like Dac or Vortex, or even Chandilar, though anywhere not a Trade Federation stronghold would help. 

"Outer Rim world, it will be, with no allegiance. Offered that, choice of world for us, they did," Yoda said. 

"Sensible, to give at least an outward appearance of meeting us halfway." Obi-Wan considered for long moment. "We can't sense droids easily, except when they are in a mass. Then they are … a blank space, at least for myself." 

"It doesn't take much to bribe a lot of those worlds," Anakin said grimly, thinking of the Hutts, who would take the bribe, let the Trade Federation kill all of them, then double-cross, just for the fun of it.

"No other Jedi allowed, I presume?" Obi-Wan asked. Yoda agreed with a nod. "But a security detachment will be demanded, for the Queen's rank and prestige," he mused.

"The droids didn't do well against Gungan boomas," Anakin suggested, "and since we have to go to Naboo anyway...?" 

"The Gungans were not part of the original problem, and would not be allowed at the table," Qui-Gon said, "but the Queen could request that some of her allies accompany her, it is true." 

"Just not Jar Jar, this time?" Obi-Wan said, torn between wry and hopeful. "He has such an uncanny ability to find exactly the wrong thing to do, despite that he is one of the most innocent beings I have ever met." 

Anakin had to grin at that; he liked Jar Jar, but that was so true. "It will probably be her handmaidens, but I was thinking some of the troops from Kamino? Just, not in that armor. Too obvious. Dressed in her guards' uniforms."

"I'm sure they'd like that," Obi-Wan said. "Though the similar features--"

"Hooded, like her handmaidens," Anakin compromised.

"Possible ideas, all are. Details to be worked out, yes, but first, a Queen to ask, hmm?" Yoda guided them. "Decision as a group, we must have."

"Master," Qui-Gon replied, flashing a smile, "I learned not to expect Queen Amidala to simply do what I think is necessary long ago. We will settle on nothing until we know what she wishes, of course. Do you have any suggestions on a possible world?" 

Yoda nodded to that. "A world is suitable, with no spaceport, widely scattered people with no allegiance, I have seen. Honoghr, it is called."

Obi-Wan frowned, trying to place where that was in relation to other systems. "Not too close to Ryloth, to make them nervous," he began, placing it in his mind. "Close to Kessel, though which means there will be armed and dangerous ships in the lanes near to it."

Anakin saw that the observation pleased Yoda, and he tried to figure out why and then he had to smile. "Meaning that any massing of droid ships would probably be met with hostility!"

"Indeed, young Padawan," Yoda replied, nodding at the youth, "indeed. Allies, the smugglers are unlikely to be, but defend their own territories, they will. Jedi, no threat to them are. Trade Federation would take spice trade, too, if they could." 

That was, possibly, one of the most cold-blooded things Qui-Gon had ever heard Master Yoda say but it was an excellent point, and an advantage that might go unseen by the Trade Federation. 

Obi-Wan was slightly surprised, but could also see the logic of it. The trap needed to be offset by as many advantages as possible. Which led to, "Anakin, forget about the droid buzzer you were trying to build. We're going to need something that can slip past their technology that can catch their communications."

Anakin shrugged. "I can work on both easily enough on the way to Naboo," he said. "If you don't mind piloting, that is."

That made Qui-Gon give his Padawan a long look. Anakin giving up the pilot's role without protest was more than a bit of a surprise but it showed a dedication to the mission at hand that he thoroughly approved of. "Do remember that you also have to sleep, Anakin." 

"I will, Master," Anakin said in a mild voice, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I will sleep just as much as my elders do."

That made Yoda chuckle at them. "Wise, young Skywalker is," he said as he regarded them. 

"Sometimes, Master," Qui-Gon agreed, "he is." 

"As wise as 'his elders', perhaps, in certain things?" Obi-Wan teased, smiling at Anakin, who shrugged in amusement. The Knight then focused on Yoda completely. "We'll go discuss this, discreetly, with Her Majesty, Master Yoda. With so much at risk, we do need to attempt this, even with the edges of the trap set for us."

"With any luck, we will catch the proof we need," Anakin said, even as he juggled just how to keep the woman he loved safe in the attempt.

"Good. Trust in you, and the Force, to see this through, I do," Yoda told them. He pushed himself up off the cushion, resting with his gimer stick supporting him. "May the Force be with you."

"And you, Master," Qui-Gon replied as he rose to his feet to open the door for their ancient Master. "Thank you for telling us so quickly." 

"Best to act swiftly, this once, to allay suspicions," Yoda told him, amused when that sent the younger two to immediately packing; had Obi-Wan given up pretenses of not living there? Possibly, given Kine Ha's advice on what was there between the two adults.

"I agree," Qui-Gon nodded, staying at the door until Yoda had taken several steps away, then closed it smoothly and turned to join in the quick packing. 

++++

Obi-Wan opened the communication as they settled in over Naboo. "Commander Panaka, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi, seeking permission to land at Theed," he said formally.

"Welcome back, Master Jedi," came the Commander's familiar voice, "Permission granted." 

Obi-Wan waited until the comm closed before lightly grumbling at the honorific. "Why did we allow the entire Republic to use the one word for both ranks, Qui-Gon?" He had no desire, at this time, to be elevated. As he had taken his time as a Padawan, he was willing to wait to leave his Knighthood.

"I have no idea, my own," Qui-Gon replied, his mouth quirking with amusement, "but you can ask Master Yoda when we return?" 

"Maybe too many people met Master Yoda?" Anakin suggested, entertained at his big brother's grumbling. " _Everyone_ calls him Master." 

Having worked with Master Yoda on the youngling lightsabers, and seen him with Ahsoka and her clan a few times, Anakin was slowly coming to have a little better opinion of the wizened old teacher. 

Obi-Wan shook his head and settled in to land them on the planet below.

+++++

"Your Majesty," Commander Panaka said, speaking by wrist comm since this was not off the books. He waited; if she was not available, one of the handmaidens would contact him back.

"Yes, Commander?" the Queen's even, mildly curious voice responded within a few moments, quiet but clear. 

"Jedi Kenobi has just requested landing in Theed," Commander Panaka told her, wondering if the Jedi arriving would ever be a thing he didn't need to alert her of. "I thought it best to inform you."

"I wonder what's happened this time," she replied, still mild, but she sounded a little more edged and alert than she had a moment before. "All right, Commander. We will see them immediately, if that is what they wish." 

"As you wish," he said, before shutting off the comm. He went to go personally greet Kenobi, and the others, if they were with him, to convey them to his Queen.

+++++

Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Qui-Gon were all present, and did wish to see the Queen, so Panaka delivered them swiftly to her. Anakin was somber and still, the first clue that this visit was not going to be pleasant.

"Queen Amidala, we regret the necessity of imposing with no warning this time," Obi-Wan said, pretending as if they had not been there in years to maintain illusions. "But there is a request we need to relay to you, with details, that may affect the future of the galaxy."

"Knight Kenobi," she replied, soft and steady, though pleased that she had cleared the Throne Room of all but her handmaidens and the governor, "you have at least arrived when we are not actively in combat, so your lack of 'warning' is hardly something to apologize for. 

"What has happened now?" 

Obi-Wan touched the bond with Qui-Gon briefly, confirming he should be the one to speak, and then moved to do so. "There is a movement to aggressively pursue new negotiations with systems that are defecting, have defected, or may defect soon," he said. "At the same time, we have become aware that the Trade Federation has seemingly managed to come to the fore of Separatist policy making, and they have issued their own demands on who will be allowed to negotiate with them.

"That we are here to speak to you, Your Majesty, is likely all the indicator you need for who is requested as the Republic's emissary." Obi-Wan heard the explosive release of breath from the governor but at least he'd learned not to try and cut her off.

"...yes, We do see," she replied, her voice very even, though probably glacial. "But We must ask why the Senate would consider acquiescing to this demand from the Separatists that such an apparently 'unreliable', 'young' Queen of a minor Rim World be their emissary in such portentous negotiations as these." 

"Because the Trade Federation will not accept any peace at all, until they have specifically worked through their … misunderstandings with those present during the unfortunate embargo," Obi-Wan said, managing to convey how little love he had for this. 

Anakin's face was a study in stone, if stone could look angry and pretend it wasn't. This trap was a chance to fix things, if they played it out just so, but he despised needing to put Padmé in danger.

"Your Majesty, this is an impossible demand. You know they only wish you ill!" Sio Bibble said firmly, afraid for her.

"Of course I am aware, Governor," Queen Amidala replied, glancing toward him with a momentary flicker of a smile, letting herself come slightly out of the full regal remoteness that her place demanded, "but I have faith in that our Jedi know this, and have begun planning for it. 

"There is nothing about this that is pleasant," she admitted, "but if there is to be an end to the Separatist threat, it seems that We must be a part of it. So We will do as the Senate asks, and trust to the Force and our friends to bring us through safely." 

Anakin could not help but wish she'd said 'no' but at the same time, he felt such pride and warmth for her. She was so brave, so strong, and he was more in love with her than ever.

"We are firmly aware that this could be as complicated as our first set of negotiations with the Trade Federation," Obi-Wan agreed, even as he let his own approval of the Queen show in his face. "Plans have been made to hold negotiations on a neutral planet with precautions against either side having a significant force of arms present. And we will provide security."

She could see the approval in Obi-Wan, the quiet resolution in Master Jinn, and Anakin — Ani looked as though he was torn between proud delight and a wish that she had decided otherwise. Obi-Wan's words made her lips quirk, despite the makeup that meant she needed to keep her face as still and even as possible. "...'complicated', Knight Kenobi. That's certainly one word for them. What planet has been chosen and who did the choosing?" 

Obi-Wan answered, "Honoghr. It is an Outer Rim world with a primitive species, sparsely settled. And Master Yoda is the one who told us of the planet's choosing." The tactical location of where it was could be their best asset in this. "It is located in close proximity to Kessel, actually."

"Which, Queen Amidala," Anakin began, his voice steady, "means that a large incursions of any kind of ship is likely to be met with, ahh, independent distractions."

"That," she replied, letting a little more warmth suffuse her voice, "may be one of the most pleasant thoughts about this entire scenario. And if Master Yoda chose it, that speaks well of our chances there. 

"This is an unpleasant situation, but We are most pleased that you will be with Us through it. The details, I think, are best discussed with Commander Panaka, yourselves, and myself in a more informal setting. Shall we adjourn for the moment, and reconvene in the Captain's briefing room?" 

Obi-Wan nodded his head to her. "That will suit us, Your Majesty," he told her before turning his attention to the Commander. "If you will lead us?"

+++++

The Jedi settled along one side of the table, and it was Eirtaé who brought them refreshments so the details could be discussed. Panaka was uneasy about the proposed mission. He'd kept Amidala alive, with substantial help, through most of two terms now. To lose her in the final year would be a tragedy yet the Jedi looked composed and ready for the challenge.

As his Queen had said, they must have a plan.

"We do not like this either, Commander," Qui-Gon said, the man's tension and unease blatant in both his face and the Force. "But we have several ideas on how to blunt this trap we know they are laying. 

"Tell me, what news has reached Naboo of the latest addition to the defenses of the Republic?" 

"There were reports, unsubstantiated so far, of an elite commando strike against Geonosis, recently," Panaka answered that. "And the Senator for our system sent a dispatch mentioning 'developments' on the protection resource front, but no details as yet."

Qui-Gon tried -- and probably mostly failed -- to hide his smile at the 'elite commando' phrasing, glancing at his partner and his student before he returned his focus to the Captain. "...amazing," he murmured, "it hasn't broken all over the HoloNet. 

"I honestly thought it would have beaten us here, with as intently as the news agencies attempt to delve into Senate affairs. All right. Then we will wait for the Queen before we discuss some of the details of her protection on this venture." 

"I think the Senators for peace are doing all they can to hold the press at bay, Master," Obi-Wan said easily. "They do not like the development, and they fear news of it inflaming the call for war."

"With reason, I think," Anakin said, before his attention turned toward the far door of the chamber, knowing Padmé was near. Her presence in the Force was something he would never be able to forget, nor did he want to, as it was soothing to him.

"I agree, Anakin," Qui-Gon replied, quiet, "which doesn't keep me from being amazed." He finished the phrase on his feet, as the Queen entered. No longer in her full regalia, but with her hair still swept up into its complicated formal arrangement, and Sabé at her side. "Your Majesty." 

Padmé smiled, shaking her head slightly, "Master Jinn, must you?" 

"At first being graced with your presence, Milady? Of course. It's good to see you." 

"And you -- all of you -- though I could wish you'd brought more appealing news." She moved to one end of the table to take a seat (the end closest to Anakin, Qui-Gon noted), and looked down towards him. "So how are we going to keep ourselves alive through this one?" 

"By trusting in the Force, of course," Obi-Wan said, trying to keep a positive outlook. Anakin refrained from kicking him under the table as he tried not to make it obvious he was drinking in the sight of Padmé. That Sabé half-winked in his direction at catching him made him aware he had failed, and he focused instead on the table.

"Your plan of action, though, Knight Kenobi?" Panaka asked, even as he remembered that levity was this particular Jedi's method of coping and keeping calm.

"We will be taking on extra security, a squad of eight trained soldiers, to meet on this planet Honoghr. We know, because they asked for the persons involved in the Invasion being foiled, that this is a trap. It can't be anything but, with the Trade Federation steadily claiming leadership now," Obi-Wan said before waiting to see if his Master wished to add to that.

"What difference can eight soldiers make, Knight Kenobi?" Panaka asked, before he could think better of it. "There's not a volunteer in our security forces that wouldn't volunteer to protect the Queen, but as you said there would be limited numbers on each side.…" 

"So there will," Qui-Gon agreed, "and this is where we must discuss those 'developments' your Senator mentioned, because they are the men we will need to integrate into defending Her Majesty, Captain. 

"Seven years and a bit ago, the cloning facilities on Kamino -- a remote Outback world galactic south of the Rishi Maze -- were tasked, seemingly by a deceased member of the Jedi Council, with producing an army for the Republic. Many of them are near Anakin's age, and trained every waking moment of their lives for combat and defense." He could feel their shock and the edge of revolted horror in the Queen and her handmaiden alike, and he paused to let them both have a few moments to recover, and to start with questions.

Her voice was faint, utterly inappropriate for a queen, as she asked, "By a _Jedi_?" 

"Yes, Your Majesty. He died at some point close to the Invasion here," Obi-Wan said softly. "There are records that he had been having Force Visions of a deadly invasion in Republic space, on a wide scale, but the Council had not realized that he might go to such an extreme, to try and protect the people.

"We have met with these young men, and they are very dedicated to their purpose. To deny them the right and ability to do as they have trained to do would actually be one of the worst things we could do to them," he added, appreciating the revulsion, but also needing to stress that lesson they had already learned of the clones.

"More than just being trained to defend the Republic, Your Majesty, they have been specifically instructed on how to best assist a Jedi," Anakin said. "We are doing what we can to work with several Senators to find a peaceful solution for all of us, to include the soldiers at Kamino."

Sabé could appreciate the fact that the Jedi seemed to find the clone project abhorrent while also being protective of the end result. They were all three compassionate men. However, she had concerns to raise, and knew in this grouping she could speak openly.

"Master Jinn, it seems that the Jedi Order has been found… compromised, twice by recent events. While we of Naboo are still firmly your supporters, I foresee this causing unrest, going forward, for others, especially more stable worlds that have not been as dependent on Jedi sacrifices recently, or those worlds that suffer beyond the normal reaches of the Order. Is your Council addressing this?"

"You see clearly, Sabé," Qui-Gon agreed. Much as he might dislike the words, he could not argue with the truth of them. The three non-Jedi in this room all knew the truth of the Order's enemy, he felt no unease in speaking as bluntly to her as she had spoken to him. "And I have no doubt that you are right. It's not helped, of course, by our current Chancellor's ability to cast quiet doubts without ever sounding anything less than a dutiful servant of the Republic.

"However, yes, the Council is doing what it can to respond to that. They have been sending Jedi out through the Core and the Rim alike, more than has been done in decades, so that by their actions we demonstrate that we have the best interests of the Republic at heart." 

"I hope," Padmé said quietly, "that our Senator has been more help to the Order than -- that man," she settled on those two words, out of everything she would have liked to say of the man that had used her to take power for himself, "has. 

"Also, while I can see the benefit of such extensively trained soldiers, especially ones trained to aid Jedi, will the Separatists not protest at individuals from yet another world 'complicating' the negotiations?" 

"They won't be pleased at needing to leave their own armor shipboard," Qui-Gon said, "but we were hoping to conceal the men in some version of your security forces' garb. Though with their identical faces and builds -- " 

Sabé laughed softly, shaking her head. "Master Jinn, if you let us aid you, they will not seem identical when we are done. We can make any of us the image of our Queen. It is not difficult to do the opposite." 

Obi-Wan smiled at the handmaiden for that. "That helps the plan proceed perfectly then. As to your Senator… he has been helpful. We were wary, not certain of the Chancellor's reach, but a discreet inquiry through Senators we do trust have him firmly against the use of any further emergency powers for the Chancellor, or exemptions from the term limits."

"As that last, we have learned, is being whispered among those Senators that are cronies to the Chancellor," Anakin provided. He hadn't had much time to pay attention to politics, but he'd been on some of the discreet talks to secure protection for the clones with trusted Senators. Oddly, people preferred to confide in the junior-most Jedi more than the other two, as if awed by them.

Panaka considered for a long moment. "I wish to suggest one contingency plan," he said. "I'd like to look at what systems are closest to the negotiation, and have a volunteer strike force of pilots quietly placed in one or two of them. Perhaps under the guise of guarding an export of our own spice trade. That way, there is a better chance of rescue, if things go poorly, in an expedited fashion."

Padmé glanced at her Commander and nodded once. That sounded like an excellent plan to her -- quick reinforcement could make all the difference in the world -- and she cast a glance to Master Jinn, to see what he thought of it.

Qui-Gon nodded. "That's possible... but we'll have to be careful... and better would be a different commodity. Glitterstim is a medical substance, but the Kessel region, despite all attempts to change it, is the worst sector for... less legal distribution and use. The last thing we would want is for one of those transports to be waylaid coming out of hyperspace, or in-system." 

"Most of Naboo's other exports are foodstuffs... right, Milady?" Anakin asked, but he was certain he was right. "Are there any planets close to Honoghr that have shortages or that you have established trade relationships with?" 

Sabé keyed a galactic map display, focusing it on Honoghr, then spreading out. "We have trade alliances in place with Lannik and Saleucami, on either side of the Huttese territory. We have had trade offers from Aduba-3, but had not actually concluded any deals with them. They are always seeking new food imports, due to their isolation," Sabé said, highlighting all three planets within their systems, forming a triangle around the planet they would be on. "Arranging a shipment to each would be possible, with fighter escort because of the nearness of the Hutts."

Obi-Wan made a quiet noise, considering that ploy. He saw too many ways it could backfire, if bounty hunters or smugglers noticed Nubian cruisers in three separate systems at once.

"There's the risk of observation," Qui-Gon said, feeling the edge of his partner's thoughts, "but to have backup only systems away, not sectors, could be the difference. I think it's worthwhile. How quickly can you arrange it, Commander? Or at least one?" 

If they could get one moving quickly, and lay it over in the system-- mechanical trouble, bane of spacers everywhere -- that might help, too. 

Panaka considered, then gave a rough estimate. "I can probably get a delegate, merchant, and fighter on the way to Aduba faster than the other two. I know a few food vendors who want that contract that I trust to handle themselves well and negotiate in good faith with whichever person is claiming control this ten-day there. That would handle that side of the region. The other two would take a few days longer, because the governments are more established, and have bureaucracies."

"The bane of all civilized worlds," Obi-Wan offered dryly. "Within a ten-day, or less?"

"Less," Panaka assured them. "The problem with bountiful harvests is the need to unload it off-world before it can affect the balance of the supply economy here."

Qui-Gon nodded -- he had certainly seen that often enough to believe it -- and relaxed slightly. "All right. That should definitely help. And it's not something we would have thought of. Thank you, Captain." 

"I think we have the beginnings of a good plan here," Obi-Wan said. The silent addition was that they would probably wing it as needed on the ground.

+++++

Obi-Wan looked out his cockpit and checked their formation as they came out of hyperspace. Anakin was ahead, slightly, on point. The cruiser was between them, with Obi-Wan trailing to take rear. His Force senses told him there was nothing out of the ordinary so far, and he turned to his instruments. 

One of the smaller control ships was just in planetary shadow, surrounded by a squadron of droid ships. It was within the number agreed upon, so Obi-Wan let his worries melt into the Force. He touched the bonds, found Anakin excited but in control of himself, while Qui-Gon was his usual serene self ready for the mission. He was on the cruiser, with the eight clones, two handmaidens, Padmé, and Ric Olié who had come out of retirement for this mission, to keep his Queen safe.

"Force be with us all," he whispered to himself.

He was furthest from the terminus -- which might have been the only reason he had any warning. There was a sudden slam of fear and anger in his link to Anakin, a heartbeat before Qui-Gon surged from serenity to concentrated adrenaline. That warning was not enough to help Obi-Wan as he tried to maneuver to a better vantage, just in time for a mysterious bolt of energy to slam through his fighter, his droid, and take all the power with it.

As he struggled to find someway to undo the damage, he realized that he, like the other two ships, was caught in the gravity well and the planet was getting closer.

+++++

Anakin groaned as he pulled himself free of the wreckage of his ship, looking at the astromech. The R3 unit was missing a substantial piece of xir dome, and had no power indicators anywhere. Anakin sighed softly, bitterly, and then reached into the cockpit. He gathered his survival pack and his lightsaber, then scavenged the water from the tank that was meant to replenish his pilot suit's bladders.

A scan of the horizon showed him nothing. He refused to let that push down his determined optimism for his family. He'd used manual releases to get all his flaps out, knew Obi-Wan and Ric both would have done the same thing. He'd used the Force to help bring his ship down safely, and that was probably why he couldn't really reach out with it right now. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were both far stronger on manipulating the Force; they'd've protected their ships too.

He did the math, based on the last known positions of each of the other two ships in space, looked at where his vessel's nose had come to rest, and plotted likely trajectories for the cruiser and the other single-man fighter.

Obi-Wan would go to the cruiser as well; Anakin just wanted to mark it in his mind, in case he reached the cruiser first. With his course chosen, he started out, relying solely on ears, nose, and eyes to protect him from ambushes, as the Force was flickering too much with strain to reach very far out.

Sith-spit, but his Master! He knew without even trying to prod that bond, uselessly at this point, that the effort to safely shield and protect the cruiser, with thirteen people aboard, would have had a hell of a backlash. Anakin wasn't certain how long he'd been blacked out, and all he'd had was himself and a small starfighter.

At least the clones would protect Qui-Gon, and the others. Points, as he'd nicknamed the one from the trip up to the droid control ship, was the leader of this eight. Anakin had faith in him and his squad.

Resolute, Anakin forced himself to pick up a light jog, eyes sweeping constantly for trouble and any sign of the cruiser's wreckage. He had to be right, that his Master had been strong enough. 

+++++

He wasn't certain how long he had been jogging and walking; his head hurt like he might have rattled it in the helmet on landing. Anakin's ears, though, told him he was about to have trouble. His lightsaber leaped to his hand, the green blade flashing out just in time to catch the first shots aimed his way by droids.

A full squad of B1s, two B2s, and a pair of droidekas were just what he needed to work off his low-level fear for his Master, his Angel, and all the rest of them. The Force wasn't helping him on the long-range needs, but this? This was what Anakin Skywalker thrived on, using his lightsaber to defend himself and others.

"Someday, I'm going to see the end of the ones that keep sacrificing all of you," Anakin muttered, before charging into the squad to begin the mayhem. His lightsaber was a blur of green energy, deflecting shots and disabling the B1s quickly.

If he could get the B1s out of the way, then he'd stand a better chance against the B2s and the droidekas. Because he was going to need to get creative in taking out the droidekas; he was too fuzzy on his Force control to pick the rolling shield-droids up and smash them.

Above and to the side, in a mass of heavy boulders, a silent being watched as the stranger she had been following since it had left the burning piece of a falling star engaged with the strange, not-living beings that had been destroying hunters and buildings for the last three sunrises. 

Many of them had fallen, once the hunters had learned how to strike them, but the unliving beings seemed to be endless. The living stranger had a weapon like and not-like theirs, and it engaged with the spindly ones in a most cunning fashion. It turned their strange, searing weapons back upon them, and they were destroyed in only moments. The second kind, the ones that came in less numbers, but with more terrible weapons, and the ones that rolled and could not be touched when standing still spat the strange lightning-bolts towards the stranger... and they too were turned back. 

Rik'shali watched, and learned. 

Anakin growled as a blaster managed to crease a line across his weaker hand, and he leaped to the B2 that had gotten past his defenses, balancing on top of it. He deflected back shots from the other B2, then spun his lightsaber as the one he was on tried to reach up and pluck him off. That hand fell to the ground as Anakin sliced in his attempt to get an overhanded grip. Following his slice with a powerful plunge downward, the lightsaber went through the cranial covering and down through primary sensors and processors, effectively destroying the B2. Even as it was toppling, he flung himself back to the ground and rushed the B2 that remained a threat. 

He made it track him, locking on as a target, and then dodged toward the droidekas. While the B2 was so focused on him, it neglected to correct for its own allies. As Anakin had hoped, the droideka most at risk to the heavier blaster fire dropped shields to move and Anakin changed course to thrust his lightsaber into the vulnerable body of the droideka.

Rik'shali made a quiet hiss to herself, watching the skill and courage of the stranger. It had leapt with great strength, and the solid lightning-weapon struck deep into the strange non-living thing... and then it used the other to make a rolling one make itself vulnerable! 

They could be turned against each other! 

Rik'shali nodded sharply, and watched the end of the battle. It did not take long to be finished, and then the living stranger put the weapon away and began to jog again. She watched, and the unwavering path came clear. The living one went towards where the biggest piece of the star had fallen and had then been attacked by the unliving. 

It was not the way of the Noghri to welcome those not of their clan but sometimes the enemy of an enemy could be an ally. Rik'shali clan Khim'bar followed. 

Anakin pulled out a bacta-bandage as he ran, getting it onto the blaster wound. It stung, but it would not interfere, as long as he got it covered quickly. He was now twice as concerned; droids attacking meant they had been placed here, probably as soon as negotiations had been agreed to, to kill any survivors. It was cowardly, and there was a growing cold anger in his soul for these tactics.

He had to get there quickly. Points and the others were very good, but if his Master was unable to help them -- no. No, they could hold on long enough. 

+++ 

Points accessed all of his training as he took stock of the interior of the cruiser. That it had broken up on landing was an understatement, but the compartment they were in was mostly intact. All seven of his men were breaking out weapons, ready to deploy, though one of the heavy gunners was swapping with the sniper, unable to hold the heavy weapon with his broken left arm.

The women were also moving, bringing out their own blasters, preparing, and looking to the one called 'Queen'. 

"Points, isn't it?" the Queen asked. "We have to presume there will be an ambush here. Deploy for protection, and we stay here. The other two Jedi will come to us." She had faith they had both made it down in one piece.

"Master Jinn?" he inquired, but he accepted her authority as that of the Republic.

"My pilot is tending his injuries in the cockpit, as Master Jinn is unconscious and got thrown around on the landing." The Queen made a small, displeased twist of her lips for that word applying to their crash. "It is up to us to defend the ship until Knight Kenobi and Skywalker make it to us."

The Jedi being unconscious was unpleasant, but if Points knew anything about inertia, he was also the only reason any of them were alive. The effort that had to have taken -- well, there was no figuring Jedi, but he'd managed it. "Yes, ma'am." 

The definite direction was good. He had been torn between survival training that said the best chance of rescue was to stay with your craft and combat training that knew staying in position against superior numbers was suicide. He couldn't fail to protect the Queen and Master Jinn; the other Jedi would be coming, and there didn't seem to _be_ superior numbers if there was more than one Jedi around. 

Or sometimes even just one crazy one. 

Holding this position, with that knowledge and her order, was definitely the right idea. 

The squad moved out, the handmaidens joining them and listening to Points on where best to position themselves. The trooper with the broken arm hissed at the heat of the cruiser's shell, but eventually managed to find a place that the Naboo-issued uniform could protect him from it at. He wanted to take high ground, to make use of the long range sniper weapon.

It did not take the long for movement to reveal itself, and the squad held their fire until each shot would count. The droidekas coming in were the sniper's first target, as well as their heavy gunner's priority. The group rolling in had a slight advantage of numbers, but it was almost even after Points gave the order to fire.

The squad, plus the handmaidens -- and the Queen, from the relative safety of the hatch -- accounted for that group in short order, though it took some inventive targeting to get the last droideka down. Points knew there would be more, but he was relieved when the Queen went back into the broken ship, away from the danger. Without her survival, the mission would be a failure.

Padmé made her way to the cockpit, checking on Ric and Qui-Gon. The Master Jedi was still unconscious, not that she was surprised by that, but the small wounds he'd taken when he got thrown around were tended. Ric was attempting to tend to his own abrasions, something she quickly took over.

"It is a good thing we have a ship in a nearby sector," he told her. "Though I won't be surprised if Anakin doesn't decide to go find one of the droid vessels for us," he added with a bit of humor, despite their circumstances. His faith that the boy survived was strong; he'd seen the smaller craft for part of the descent, and he'd been handling his on manual flaps far better than Ric had managed.

Padmé made a quietly amused noise, nodding -- though she was relieved at Ric's calm assessment that Anakin was fine. "He just might," she agreed. "It'd suit him, if one gets anywhere near us.

"Any chance of getting our comms back to hail it?" 

"That's going to have to wait for Anakin, Your Majesty," Ric said, "unless one of the security team is a wizard with electronics. I know the theory of it, but not the practical. As that system was not in use, whatever hit us may not have damaged it completely, and a power pack from a blaster might get us enough range to be picked up."

She nodded her understanding. Ric was a pilot, not an engineer. Anakin seemed to manage both, but Anakin was Anakin. "I'll ask them," she replied, finishing up tending to Ric before crouching next to where the tall Master lay unconscious, and resting her fingers on his pulse, just to reassure himself. It was strong, steady... slow, but even. Good enough. 

She went back to Points, scanning out over the terrain near them as she did. She knew she didn't have the eye of a trained soldier, but... Swaying movement, down a draw -- "Points," she murmured, tipping her head. 

The squad leader moved to pan his binocs in a slow sweep toward her indicated spot. "My Lady, you should remain closer to the ship's protection," he said as he did so. "Your safety is my men's main priority, as the Republic's envoy."

"I will," she replied, quiet, "but we need our comms back, and my pilot isn't up to the repairs. Are any of your men, or will we have to wait for Anakin's hand with electronics?" 

Points paused in his attempt to identify the motion that had slipped below his ability to see, and spoke into his wrist unit. Those at least had not been destroyed. "CN-2113, report to the Queen, inside the ship, to assist with communication repair." 

He should have already done that. His focus on protection and short-term survival had cost him an obvious avenue of long-range survival. It was a mistake he would not repeat, as he tried to find the motion again.

"Thank you," Padmé replied, seeing an odd edge of color in his cheeks and deciding not to remark on it. "Be careful," she added, and turned to go back inside. She didn't like not being able to help directly but Points was right. Being exposed at the moment, when they were being hunted and she and the Jedi with her were the entire Republic's one slim chance at peace, was worse than reckless, so she moved quickly. 

CN-2113 met her quickly, his blaster going into the holster as soon as he was inside the ship. He felt uneasy to be pulled off the defenses. "Reporting as ordered," he said crisply.

Padmé nodded and gathered him up with a look to head for the comm array. The main control panel had looked completely destroyed -- mostly in the crash, she thought -- but hopefully the array itself was in better shape. "Whatever-that-was that they hit us with, soldier, we don't have a single functional electronic system. The comms were offline, so there's a chance they survived." 

She ducked past a crumpled-in section of bulkhead and forced the door past it open -- and growled a quiet Gungan commentary on the reek of burned plastic, fused wiring, slagged cable, and leaking who-knew what. It looked as bad as it smelled, but she went for the cover-panel on the transmitter array unerringly, and popped it open. "All yours." 

"Yes sir," he answered. "Err, ma'am," he corrected, as they had been told there was a thing called 'gender' and they needed to differentiate based on how people were introduced to them. He moved to start disassembling what was needed, popping out a small, functional tool kit from his gear.

Padmé smiled at him, quick and amused, and got out of his way, leaning back against the compartment wall. "Let me know if you need a second pair of hands," she told him, before beginning to quiet her mind from its racing. 

Outside, Sabé shifted her position slightly, adjusting her grip, and waiting for the next wave. Commander Panaka was going to have a litter of kittens about this, once they got home again but that was then. And at least she could be out here doing something, unlike her Queen. 

Points called out to be ready, and they prepared for it the best they could. Cordé gave a word of prayer that their Queen remained inside for this one, and prepared to defend their position with everything she was.

+++++

Anakin could hear the fight long before he could see it, due to the slope of the land on the side he was approaching from. With a growl, he pushed himself to _run_ , heedless of the cost, so he could get to his Master and his Angel.

The cruiser was broken on the landscape, but the pieces were so close together as to indicate it had happened at the end of the crash. That was reassuring. What wasn't, Anakin decided, was how close the ring of droids had circled in. 

The droids were not prepared for the carnage on their rear, as Anakin exploded in among their numbers, lightsaber weaving a deadly dance. This time, he targeted the B2s first, leaving the B1s to the troopers. The side of the ship he had attacked on was quickly cleared enough to allow the defenders to focus on the other side, one by one, so they could end this fight.

Not that Anakin stopped when he took the last droid on this side out; he came over the ship in a series of bounds, and came down with a plunge of his lightsaber through a B2 that he proceeded to use as a platform from which to deflect bolts away from his friends with deadly efficiency.

That had been getting a little intense, Points thought as he took a moment to slap a bandage over the deep gouge on his left upper arm -- now that their particular crazy Jedi had shown up almost exactly on cue, he could do that. 

Said Jedi... was doing incredible things with that lightsaber, too, standing on one of the heavy clankers and hammering the remaining droids with their own attacks, the singing hum of the blade a constant he thought he could get used to. Movement caught his attention, a chunk of B2 hauling itself around the end of the ship, and he pumped rounds into it before it could bring the weapon to bear on Commander Skywalker. 

Cordé pushed a fresh charge into her blaster, a grim smile on her lips to be able to do so without possibly being shot in the middle of it. Would Anakin ever be anything but their personal hero-Jedi? Probably not, given how the Force kept bringing him back to them in the right moment.

Sabé wished she could record this, almost, to show her Queen just what Anakin had grown up to become, as he flung himself off his battle station to recklessly charge into the small group of B1s that were still a threat. She chose her own shot carefully to the farthest one from where Anakin was, and was unsurprised to see he took down three in the same space of time.

Between the lot of them -- mostly Anakin -- this attack was soon over, and once he had switched off his lightsaber, there were only the faint, popping hisses and discharges of static destroyed droids gave off... until Anakin was on the move back towards them, his eyes sweeping from trooper to trooper, then out towards -- 

"Cordé, wher -- " 

"Inside, Anakin, safe," Cordé cut in before any of the others could be shaken by hearing their young Jedi sound quite that wildly panicked, or see the flat slate-colored hue beginning to come up in his eyes. That color, she noted for later, meant a vicious kind of fury. "Remembering she's a diplomat, this time, stars be thanked." 

Anakin took a slow breath, settling a little, seeing Sabé on her feet as well, but there were still people missing. His Master, his mother's husband, and -- and one of the troopers. At this distance from some of them, he couldn't even tell which one of them was missing. The handmaidens had done a lot to make them look different, but the uniforms still matched, and --

He tried to stretch his senses out, to get a read on the world around them with the Force... and he almost landed on a knee as he reeled. Why was he having such trouble with Force perception, when he'd been slowing the fighter with almost pure Manipulation? 

Then again, he was fairly sure he couldn't lift so much as a pebble right now. His own body, though, that was still responding just fine. "Points," he asked, more calmly than he'd said Cordé's name, at least, "how are you, and your men?" 

"Made it through fine, sir," Points said. "CN-2113 is working on comms under the Queen's guidance, sir. CN-2112's arm is broken, so Fourteen's on heavy guns and Twelve's been sniping. Think we all might have taken a singe or two from the clankers, but we're still able to fight, sir." As he spoke, he pointed out two of the others, sending them out to scavenge blasters and power packs while they had a breather. "Third wave, and this one was bigger than last. 

"Starting to twitch about staying with the ship, sir, even as I understand it would be the point for Knight Kenobi to home in on," Points finished up.

"Third wave," Anakin murmured, not questioning so much as fixing it in his head. Relief that all of the troopers were all right slid through his nerves, and he held on to that. "Time between them? Approach vectors?" 

There was no way he was lucky enough to have all three waves have come from even the same general direction, but he wouldn't know until he asked. Not with his senses stripped down to eyes and ears. 

"First wave came straight on for the hatch. Second wave tried the other side, but this one… the droidekas rolled in first on both sides and kept us pinned so the rest of them could come from the aft on both sides." Points shook his head. "Can't find anything on the binocs that indicates defensible positions, not from here, and didn't want to lose a blaster to have someone scout," he admitted. He hoped that had been the right decision.

Anakin nodded, absorbing the information. "...then there's a living controller within long-range scanner range, or on high enough ground that they can see to us. Droids don't make that kind of tactical decision. 

"No, splitting up wouldn't have done any good," he agreed, "and you need everyone here to keep a perimeter. We'll stay here until either Obi-Wan gets here or another wave hits, to give him a little more time, but after that we'll have to move. Preferably to somewhere we've got a chance of ambushing the fifth bunch." 

The last was a somewhat annoyed mutter, but oh, well. "And what was that about the comms?" 

"The Queen came and asked for our electronics expert, to try and get comms back on. Thirteen is solid with that sort of assignment, sir. I apologize she had to ask; I neglected, sir, to insure we had comm ability," Points said, to own his error swiftly. 

Anakin studied him for a moment, hearing some of his old terrors of failing in Points' voice. He understood that, though the need to immediately admit it was stranger. "You were concerned with the Queen's immediate safety, Points. I would have been, too, after an ambush like that one. But we do have to get some way to call for help, and the faster, the better. 

"Just don't forget the lesson, yeah?" 

"I won't, sir!" Points stood a little taller though, for those words. His commander would have been in the same boat? That more than made up for the long moment of being under those gimlet eyes. Points _never_ wanted to get on the Jedi's bad side, ever. But then, if Points had his way, he'd stay assigned to the youngest of their Jedi for the rest of his service. He liked the crazy Jedi's style.

Anakin had never really seen anyone but Ahsoka look at him like that, and it took everything he had to just nod, steady and reassuring, like Qui-Gon was when he got a lesson right. "Good. I'm going to go see if I can speed up that comm work any, then I'll be back out with you." 

That as soon as he was inside the ship, he was going to go find his angel and his Master didn't _have_ to be completely obvious. 

Points nodded, then took up a better vantage point so he could release one more man to go and scavenge the droids.

Thirteen had managed to pull out all the components he thought he needed to make a portable transmitter, aware they would probably have to go on the run at some point. He'd growled a few times, asked the Queen for permission to damage a few other things to find pieces that would assist, but mostly, he was coming right along in rigging a comm unit for their group.

He didn't actually notice Anakin's arrival, being too absorbed in his work to feel that sweeping presence or hear him.

Padmé, on the other hand, was never blind to Anakin's nearness, and she breathed out a sigh of relief, one that was checked almost as soon as it started, when she saw how he looked. The first real sound out of her mouth was, "Ani, you're hurt..." 

But he was alive, he was safe, and to the Abyss with propriety, she wanted to hold him for a moment. 

Anakin shook his head, regretted it, and then moved to reach out a hand to her, wanting to hold her too. Thirteen had looked up, then gone back to work, at the Queen's voice. He was no medic after all.

"Not bad," Anakin answered her. "More important is that you aren't hurt. And the squad, your ladies, are all alive. How bad is my Master, and is Ric okay?" If he got all of that out of the way, he'd be better able to get the rest of his rage under control, blank it out for the time being.

"Ric's fine -- a little battered, but fine -- he's staying with Master Jinn," she answered, mostly against his hair as her arms wrapped around him. Stubborn young man, trying to deny he was hurt when anyone with eyes could see the scorches, bacta patch, and the pain-lines etched around his mouth, eyes, and across his forehead. "Who doesn't seem to be badly hurt, physically. But he hasn't come conscious yet, either."

He breathed her in, letting everything sink in. They were all alive (Obi-Wan had better be! Anakin was not thinking of the fact that if Obi-Wan wasn't that it would backlash through his Master so hard.) He had made it back to them, and they had the start of a plan. "I should see if I can help him, but I know I blacked out for a little while, and I just had a one-man ship!" 

He was going to always be in awe of his Master, thought that was the right way of life, to be honest, but this? This raised it to whole new levels. His Master had shielded against re-entry, and managed to hold the ship together nearly to the ground!

"I don't know how he did it," Padmé replied softly, agreeing with the amazement in Anakin's voice, "but he called us all up, as close to him as we could get, while we were still in free-fall, and we'd leveled out and slowed before he collapsed. 

"If you've used yourself that hard, Ani, and don't think I didn't hear the fight outside," she added, "you can't do much to help him -- but that transmitter; well, it can't be worse than repairing a podracer in mid-flight, can it?" 

That got a snort out of him, and he reluctantly pulled free of her to look at what Thirteen had done so far, leaving his uninjured hand in reach of her, if she would hold it for a moment longer. "Care to walk me through what you've done so far, soldier?"

"Sir, yes sir," Thirteen said, before going into an explanation, including that he'd had to scavenge pieces of other systems to build it. It was soothing to Anakin to fall into this project, letting him worry less about his Master, and now Obi-Wan.

He hadn't felt Qui-Gon tap him for extra support through the bond, and he was pretty sure his Master wouldn't have risked either of them. However, Anakin knew good and well that the life-bond shared between his Master and Obi-Wan didn't always allow for things like personal will to get in its way.

++++

Obi-Wan stumbled again as he tried to get his senses back. He'd awakened in the wreckage of his fighter with pain stabbing through him. The helmet had mostly protected his head, but the sheer effort of what he'd done (what they'd done, a thought that flickered just outside his full grasp) had made his nose bleed profusely. His leg was wrenched awkwardly; that was going to make moving painful. His ribs were on fire, and both his shoulders were sore.

He needed to limit the impact of his injuries, needed to get to Qui-Gon and Padmé. Anakin would go there, so he didn't need to look for his little brother. Obi-Wan reached for the Force, and was almost sick as his control proved too lacking to do as he needed. 

"Right, then," he muttered, working his way out of the cockpit as best he could, ignoring the pain as long as he could. He'd had the fortunate luck to crash in a small wash, wedging his fighter between the walls of what seemed to be a dry creek bed. At least the Force hadn't allowed him to splatter against one of those ridges.

The sound of metal feet thudding on the ground was the last thing Obi-Wan wanted to hear, but he readied his lightsaber. This was going to be painful, but he _had_ to get to Qui-Gon, ghostly images in his mind of the cruiser's descent.

"I am so tired of droids," he complained, as he set to battle with group approaching him.

++++

Rik'shali had heard the noises of lightning-weapons before the stranger she followed had, by many lengths but its ears seemed to not be terrible. And then, once it heard, it had run with a speed more than any hunter could reach, straight towards the noises. She had followed, as quickly as she could, to see all three types of the not-living attacking several other beings, gathered around what must be the second fallen star. 

It was in more pieces, ripped and torn, than 'her' stranger's star-piece had been, she noted, while the battle finished. Many of the not-living lay on the ground, twitch-hissing, but the other beings, which looked similar to her stranger, came to move among them. Her stranger spoke, voice sharp, and was answered. The sounds had no meaning to her, but she could hear that her stranger held authority in the pitches of the voices, in the way the others stood around her stranger. 

She made an almost inaudible noise to herself as the other strangers moved among the not-living, taking things, from them. Trophies? Or were they taking weapons or provisions from them, as the people would take from a rival clan's dead? 

Her stranger moved to enter the largest piece of the fallen star, and Rik'shali trailed along behind, moving slowly between the watching sentries -- they looked for the non-living, not for her, and she was of the people. She was not seen as she moved past them, or as she moved up into the star. 

This was a thing none other of the people had ever done, a new thing to be sung! What was this thing, that living strangers could step into and out of? 

She watched all around her most closely, feeling the slick walls, smooth as polished stone but warm, and tapped one claw very lightly on a surface. Not wood, not stone, nor copper or tin or iron. Something... different. There were many smells, some as painful as the odors of melting ores, and the air was thick with what must be the scents of these beings. 

They were not unpleasant scents, in the main. Voices, again, from not too far ahead, and she slipped closer, pressing along the wall. The sounds still had no sense to her ears, but she knew that they were language, there was a rhythm and the ebb and flow between different voices. The other voice, not the stranger's, was higher and softer. 

She crouched down slightly and moved closer, wanting to see the other stranger talking to hers, and her eyes blinked once, surprised. 

They were holding each other, her stranger and this soft-voiced one. Were they mates? Or siblings? Rik'shali climbed a section of the crumpled wall, and braced herself in place to watch. From here, she could see a third stranger, doing something complicated with its hands, that her stranger became interested in. 

There were many differences in attire, with these strangers. And what was that stuff all over their heads, that fell so long on the second one? 

Perhaps it was because she'd grown too accustomed to assassination attempts. Perhaps it was just the situation being quite so dangerous, when her Jedi were less able to protect them. Padmé wound up looking around, her hand still in Anakin's since he was just listening to Thirteen right now.

Something was out of place, more than just the jumble of debris shaken free in the crash, and she tried to make her mind work through the details, to find the shadow that was out of place.

Rik'shali went bonelessly still except for the places that held her to the wall, surprise sweeping through her. Had this second stranger heard her breath, or her heart? She slowed both as much as she could, closing the lids over her eyes almost entirely. 

Anakin felt Padmé's hand tighten slightly and he said, "Wait, Thirteen," to pause the trooper as he looked to her. "What is it?" 

"Maybe nothing," Padmé said, still searching the shadows for what was out of place. She hated the unnatural fluorescence of the emergency lights, but she could push past that. "I felt like something was watching me. But I don't see anything." She turned her attention back to Anakin. "I should be finding and packing up the rations and what water we have, if we have to move," she added, pushing away the feeling as overwrought nerves.

"I trust your instincts," Anakin replied, not enjoying hearing her sound so uneasy. Or hearing her discount her instincts, when they were so good. He turned slowly, looking for the whatever had caught his angel's attention, warned her. It would be so much simpler, if he could just use his other perceptions! If the Force would just stop hovering out of reach.…

Nothing could be in the room with Thirteen, it would have had to get past all three of them. But in the corridor? He looked from floor up the wall to the ceiling, a decimeter or so from them, then down the curve of the other wall. Across the decking, then out more and slowly up, across, down -- wait! 

A different shade of gray, there, in the crumpled part of the bulkhead. Different shade, different shape... and there. Eyes, almost shut. 

"Thirteen, carry on. Angel, we _do_ have company." 

Rik'shali knew, with a quiet feeling of unease, that she _had_ been seen. 

Padmé muttered something in Gungan before talking to Thirteen. "Keep working; we need to be able to get our trader and her escort here soon," she said firmly. She then tried again to find the thing out of place, even as she wondered what threat it could be. Droids weren't usually sneaky.

"Yes ma'am," he promised her, even as his skin itched. Why did they have to be in light security force uniforms instead of full armor?

"Maybe a local? But how could it have gotten past Points? Oh he's going to be upset," Padmé said, having seen that the squad leader had issues about failing them.

"Definitely a local," Anakin agreed, still watching those almost entirely shut eyes. "Do you see it yet? Up in the crumpled section." 

Rik'shali hadn't moved her eyes since her stranger had fixed the tiny pale-centered gaze on her, slowly breathing the taste of them -- much as she could past all of the foul odor/tastes in this star-piece -- but as they continued looking at her, she began to ready for a fight. She must strike their lighting-weapons, both kinds, from their hands, or she would die as other hunters had. 

Given that focus, Padmé found the person, her eyes widening slightly. "Oh." She looked at Anakin, seeing his fixed gaze on the point. "We are the intruders," she reminded him, so that his honed reflexes didn't do something stupid like start a fight.

"I know," he replied, soft, as he lifted both of his empty hands away from his lightsaber, holding them a little out from his body. "Hello," he said, directly to those mostly-closed eyes, wishing again for the Force to help him, here. 

Rik'shali blinked, seeing something like the honoring of a maitrakh in the gesture, and the word was... not aggressive? 

She had not intended to be seen at this point, but that chance was gone. She was not about to be killed by a lightning-weapon while she clung to the wall like a bird, and she opened her eyes fully, glancing over her stranger and the one beside him, before she dropped to the decking. 

Padmé studied the being carefully, taking in the presence of claws and needle-teeth so obvious. A predatory species, or one with numerous natural enemies. She did not risk a smile here; teeth baring was so often a threat display. She kept her hands far from her blaster, but she could not just stand there.

"Hello, newcomer," she said, voice soft and careful in its tone. She knew Thirteen was having the worst time focusing on the task at hand, but he was still working. That was good; they didn't need a fight.

Anakin wished he could make this easier, but the Force was not cooperating. This had to be one of the local sentients, as he'd never seen an alien quite like it before. The sense of danger was high, and the being had gotten in the ship with them, unseen. Yet, there was nothing visible that might be a cloaking device.

"Sorry for the mess outside," he said, since he didn't even dare move his hands to offer water yet.

Rik'shali watched both strangers as their small pale eyes watched her, and she considered. They were not of the people, but they fought and slew the nonliving. The sounds made no sense, but unless these strangers had backwards odors, they were not angry now. If those were greetings... "Greetings," she replied in her own tongue, nodding once, slightly, holding her hands away from her own weapons. 

"I wish Threepio were here," Anakin said softly in an aside to Padmé. He then slowly brought his hand to his mouth, cupped like it was holding liquid, and mimed drinking, before pointing at the alien. "Thirsty?" he added, letting the upward note convey the question. The best way to establish contact was generally sharing of water.

"It would be our luck that Honoghr languages would be unfamiliar, and then he'd just complain," Padmé said, fighting the urge to giggle. She studied the alien again, seeing something graceful in the short, muscular form. If they could make an alliance, it would help them hold out for rescue.

Rik'shali watched the gesture intently, and her eyes blinked once as she thought she understood. Her stranger was, if she understood the gesture correctly, offering water. Or asking for it. Did she want to enter that obligation with them? Yes, she decided, because she was curious. She reached into the back of her tunic slowly, pulling out the water-skin that had rested along her spine to hold it out towards her stranger. 

Anakin smiled, close-mouthed, and slowly pulled up his own canteen, thankful it was on the other side, away from his lightsaber. He pushed open the mouth of it, and held it out in exchange for the being's water skin.

"Thank you," he added, even though the words would mean nothing.

Rik'shali took a step closer, wary, and took the strange object that smelled like water, opening her skin before she gave it to her stranger. She sniffed the opening carefully, was reassured that it smelled only like good, clear water, and brought it to her mouth, where she could pour a little into her mouth and checked it with her senses of touch and taste. 

It seemed to be fine. Cold and just a little sweet, like the best water in the high cold springs but to be sure, Rik'shali would offer the water to the second stranger. 

Anakin took a sip of the stranger's water, watching as Padmé moved forward unflinching. Her hands were steady as she accepted Anakin's canteen to take a sip, no fear in her eyes or body language even as it put her very close to the newcomer.

That the species living here was dangerous, Padmé did not doubt. But she lived with Gungans, who had taught her to respect predators, and how to read them. As long as Padmé did not fear, she would be better able to handle the alien.

Rik'shali nodded as she watched the other stranger drink as well, waiting for the return of her water-skin from her stranger. The third stranger was still turned away, still doing whatever complicated thing it was doing. Not a threat, yet. 

Anakin reached back out, giving the alien their water skin back. Much as he wanted to find a way to communicate, he needed to see if Thirteen was having any luck, and besides, this was more Padmé's ability set, right? 

"I need to work," he said to the alien, knowing there would be no understanding, but he pointed to his chest and then the unit Thirteen was building.

"Anakin, you should at least give them a name!" Padmé told him, getting an eye-roll from the young Jedi.

"Anakin," he said slowly, patting his own chest. He then pointed at the Queen, and said her name slowly too. "Padmé." Now he pointed at the alien, waiting.

Those were strange sounds, but the first ones had come before. The chest-patting, and the single word... names. The strangers had names. 'Anakin', and 'Padmé'. And now her stranger was indicating her. 

"Rik'shali," she answered, tapping her fingers on her chest, as her stranger, 'Anakin', had. 

Anakin tried to shape his mouth around that once before trying to repeat it. "Rik'shali," he repeated. "Nice to meet you." He then moved to where he could better look at the connections Thirteen was trying to not screw up when his danger sense was pinging off the meter.

"Rik'shali?" Padmé asked, a little closer to the pronunciation than Anakin had been.

Rik'shali nodded, and tried to repeat the strange-sounding name this one had given her, watching 'Anakin' working. "Paadhmee," she said, pointing to the 'Padmé' stranger, air hissing between her teeth, then pointed past her at 'Anakin' crouching to work. "Anahkhin." 

That was almost a proper name, really. 

Padmé nodded. "Yes." She was really missing Threepio with his amazing ability to find language roots and to translate on the fly -- he was better than any of the Palace droids, which was surprising but often a relief. This sounded nothing like Huttese, and they were the nearest powers in this sector. "I need to work, Rik'shali." She made a motion of two fingers walking on her other hand, then pointed past the alien, to see if that would get her to move. The native being was not being overtly hostile, and with communication a problem, Padmé intended to just let the being stay or go as they wanted.

The gesture was odd, but the pointing past Rik'shali understood, and she slipped against the wall, making room for Padmé to easily pass. She would stay with Anakin, her stranger who fought with such boldness and skill, until something more intriguing happened. 

"Going to scrounge and figure out survival packs," Padmé told Anakin, before moving on, confident and sure of her steps even as she passed close to the stranger.

"Alright," Anakin said, distracted as he tried to be helpful with the comm gear. "You do good work. Maybe I ought to start calling you 'Wizard'," he praised the trooper, still hating the numbers for names, even if they had all shortened to just their last two digits.

"Wizard, sir?" Thirteen asked, curious, even as the thought of having one of the Jedi-bestowed nicknames delighted him. "And thank you, sir." 

Rik'shali moved into the farther room, face wrinkling at the stronger vile smells, and leaned against the strange wall where Anakin could see her -- at least for now. 

"Wizard, or Wiz for short. One syllable, good to yell in a pinch," Anakin offered, smiling down at his trooper, even as he noted the new location of the stranger.

"Thank you, sir," the newly appointed Wiz said in pleasure. "Since they're cutting droids down out there, I think I've got the resistors set to handle the power-packs out of one of the B1s, sir. It should have enough punch to hit the Naboo trader, as long as we aren't being jammed."

"If we are, we'll just have to take a droid ship," Anakin promised him.

Wiz shot him a rather startled look, since they had had technical readouts of droid ships and weaponry to train against but Jedi Skywalker had gotten out of one of the big control ships with nothing but one of their little squad carriers. If anyone could actually take one of the things, it would probably be him -- with them, anyway. "Yes sir." 

Padmé ducked outside the ship just long enough to find Points and Sabé. She explained about the native, asked them not to hurt the native, and reassured Points that _Anakin_ had had trouble spotting the alien and about her theory that it might have come aboard when they were all unconscious. That done, she went to strip everything that would be useful for survival and build their packs. With luck, Obi-Wan would make it back, and Qui-Gon would wake, before another wave came.

++++

Rik'shali had closed her eyes, enjoying the shade of the strange roof over her, but that did not mean that her senses were not paying attention, and so she heard the footfalls of the nonliving. She did not think Anakin could hear it, and so she unfolded from the wall, growling, "Anahkin," before pulling one of her knives and running back towards the open doorway. 

"Rik'shali?" he answered them, but then his hearing stretched out; something had spooked them. "Wiz, you're almost there; keep working on it!" He took off at a run to join the native and his troops.

Points was just as glad the Queen had told them about the native, but that didn't prepare him for seeing the person. There was something dangerous to the person's whole presence, despite being so small compared to the clones.

Rik'shali listened, closing her eyes again, once she was away from the doorway, turning her head slowly to find -- there. Anakin came up behind her, off to one side, his steps almost as soundless as hers, and she pointed with her knife-blade at the hill behind which she could hear the nonliving. No. Not only one place. 

She turned around, sheathed the knife and climbed the fallen star-piece, sinking in hand and foot-claws alike, until she could listen behind them, and blinked once at the stranger staring at her. 

"Trouble, sir?" Their acting sniper focused on Anakin who had leaped up, who was still annoyed that his physical powers were perfectly fine, but his reach was shot. 

"Follow their point. We've got trouble coming from the hills, if I am understanding them correctly," Anakin told the trooper, before taking in the splinted arm. "Why didn't you trade out with someone?"

"Did, sir. Gave up the heavy gun for this," the trooper replied easily. "Can still flex my hand to steady it."

"Alright, alright," Anakin said, shaking his head, scanning the horizon.

Rik'shali listened again, not hearing other sources -- and from behind the hills in front of them, a flock of tiny songbirds burst out of the trees, their rippling voices frightened. She looked at the steep drop down on that side, narrowed her eyes somewhat, and set about getting back down. 

"Right; hold the other side, against the far hills. Going to help our new friend," Anakin said before following the native toward the fight that was coming their way.

"Points was so right," the sniper muttered, shifting to do as he had been commanded, whistling down for the others to keep their eyes out for incoming.

Points heard the whistle, then scanned with his binocs, not seeing anything yet. Then, there was dust, and that was enough for him to be thankful they'd shoved droid bodies into a makeshift barrier and ransacked several of the B2s for armor plates. This was a bigger force yet, and he was getting worried.

"Everyone, ready on this side!" he called.

"We're on it," his brothers called back, while on the other side of the ship, he heard Anakin's lightsaber snap-hiss to life. Neither of the handmaidens responded verbally, but he had eyes on them and knew they were as ready as he was. 

Rik'shali knew the sound of the lightning-weapon Anakin carried, now, and did not twitch as he brought it forth. As the first of the nonliving came into view, she flowed out of sight after a flash of two knives at Anakin. 

"If they get themself killed, Padmé is going to yell at me," Anakin groaned, but he readied to meet the onslaught. Those were his people counting on him, his troops, his Angel, his mother's husband, and his Master. The banked heat of his anger returned to him, and then he exploded into motion and violence, going after the most dangerous ones first.

On the other side, blasters rang out as soon as the distance favored the clones, and they saw to putting as many droids down as they could before the wall could be breached. The troopers had cobbled together pieces of the droids' bodies into serviceable armor for themselves, and even convinced the slender handmaidens into chest armor made from the smaller ones. 

It wasn't much protection, but it was better than nothing.

For the next several minutes, even Anakin could hardly keep track of the battle, busy as he was with staying intact and defending his people -- which didn't mean that he failed to see the little native in motion, attacking the droids with solid metal blades that were somehow incredibly effective. She was fast and lethal, and appeared to have mastered going after exposed wiring and joints. 

When the last one on his side of the ship fell, there was still blaster fire on the other side. He had no time to rest, but he called out the alien's name, to show he was going. "Rik'shali!" Anakin called, before turning to head to his troops, to the handmaidens. They needed him, tired as he was. And the alien was a solid ally, if they would just go with him into the rest of this.

Rik'shali heard the call and turned. Listening, she knew that the nonliving were still fighting on the other side of the star-piece, and she ran towards the closer end so that she could go around it -- it would be faster than climbing up and down again -- and after a moment to evaluate, found where she could most easily return to destroying nonliving. 

"Sir, should we just conserve power packs?" Points called over the noise of the fight, having watched their Commander bounce back into the fray. He pinpointed a droideka as it moved to contend with the Jedi, having been waiting for the thing to crack shields.

"Can't let him have all the fun, Points!" Fourteen yelled back, adding a heavy round to the droideka, smashing it apart.

"Why should you, they're leaving plenty for you to borrow," Anakin called back, flipping from one of the B2s down into three of the B1s to deal with them. Off to his left side, Rik'shali was in another cluster of them, knife flashing in one hand as she wrapped her other hand around an elbow joint and turned the nonliving's weapon against the others of its kind. 

"The native has our Commander's sense of style!" Twelve called down from his position, before sighting in on the remaining B2 at the edge of the fight, blasting its sensors.

"That could be a very bad thing, or a very good thing," Sabé said dryly. 

Anakin ignored the conversation, working his way through this; he was tiring fast, knew he couldn't just keep burning through his reserves. When the last one fell, it was to a combined strike from him and the native, making him smile at her, barely remembering not to flash his teeth for it.

Rik'shali studied her stranger's face for a moment, seeing the different expression, and sniff/tasting the air. Excitement, stress, pleasure, satisfaction -- so they did have similar emotions. Good. 

Then that expression was a smile, and she smiled back, almost all of her teeth showing for a moment. That made Anakin smile wider, glad they could share at least this -- though those needle-like teeth flashing brilliant white at him were a little disconcerting. He then put his lightsaber on his belt and went to check everyone for injuries. He saw Sabé binding a bandage on Cordé's arm, but the troopers were still scanning warily, getting ready to scavenge and add more to the wall, if he read them right.

"Save your troops' strength, Points. We'll be moving out as soon as we make a litter for my Master, and the comm gear is portable," Anakin said wearily. "So just take what you need to keep up a fight. Pad -- Queen Amidala was making survival packs for us."

"Yes sir," Points answered, more than a little relieved. "Maybe we can even get out of sight of whoever's running these droids. Fourteen, Eleven, get on that litter for Master Jinn."

"On it," the two agreed, and put their heads together to confer. 

"Sir? I think we should add rigging another set of B1 plates for the Queen," Points said, not wanting her any less protected than the others. If he could actually tuck her into B2 plating, he'd do that, but it was too heavy for the ladies to carry. "I'll bring some inside?" 

"I appreciate that." Anakin looked then at Rik'shali, wondering how the native would handle them moving out. Well, he'd find out once they did. With any Force-willing luck, Obi-Wan would make it before they had to move out. A scan of the horizon didn't make that seem too likely though, and he frowned. His big brother was strong and smart; surely he had the ability to survive, even on his own, if he hadn't made it to them by now. Maybe he was afraid of leading hunting drones down on top of them.

The troopers scrambled and Sabé took over getting armor inside for her queen, once Cordé was seen to. She had watched them rig the armor for themselves; she could outfit her Queen. And Ric, though that might take some more ingenuity as he was broader than any of the ladies, but not really physical enough for the B2 armor.

Anakin took a minute to sit in the shade of the ship, sipping a little water, even as he watched his men work. He felt like he should still be moving… but he was exhausted, and he needed to be able to protect them on the move. He closed his eyes, just for a minute, to let himself get a little rest. He was as safe as he could be, surrounded by his men, and Padmé's ladies.

"Rik'shali," he said softly, inviting them to rest as well by patting the shade near himself.

Rik'shali watched the gesture, and walked to join him, stretching out in the shade. The others were moving, quick and efficient, but Anakin had settled to rest. He had fought repeatedly, and smelled tired. She could keep fighting, if need be, but right now there was no fighting to do, and it was good to rest when there was not. She was out of his reach, he out of hers, and she shifted around to settle into place and go into a deep drowse. 

+++++

Points took the lead, Fourteen took the rear. Padmé was on one side of the litter, Sabé on the other. They were swapping off with Ric and Cordé on the litter carrying Qui-Gon, leaving the rest of the squad to range alongside them, keeping them covered. 

Anakin was moving from place to place, trying to keep himself from growing more agitated by the moment. Obi-Wan should have made some kind of appearance by now, and yet there was nothing. So Anakin had set a course that cut across Obi-Wan's last known trajectory, hoping to encounter him on the way to what he hoped was a defensible position in the hills.

The Force was slowly getting a little better, enough so that as his training bond began to fill, he could recognize it as Qui-Gon coming back around. He bounded back to the litter quickly, so that Padmé didn't have to try and contain the Jedi all by herself.

"Master," Anakin said softly. "Please don't move."

Everything hurt, Qui-Gon noted dimly, and his Padawan's voice was rippling between barely-audible and a shout. Which meant it was his ears with the problem, not Anakin. He did lie still, slowly opening his eyes. He promptly shut them again! The sun was entirely too bright, he was staring directly up at a not-entirely-blue sky, and whatever was under him was swaying. He tried to tap into the Force, to ease the pain he was in and check on the others -- 

It felt as though he'd been hit in the head with a broken crystal vase that stabbed deep into his mind. His breath hissed, echoing in his ears, but he made no other sound. 

Anakin was there. They weren't in the ship. From what he'd been able to tell, Anakin sounded all right, so the Queen was fine; other than that, what was going on? 

He turned his head so he wouldn't be looking up at the brilliant sun, towards where his Padawan's voice had been, and tried opening his eyes again. 

"You might not want to reach out, Master. You had it worse than I did, coming down, I think," Anakin said. "And I'm still flickering. I'm fine if it's moving through me, but not so much for reaching out." He moved to where he could keep pace with the litter, wrapping his hand around Qui-Gon's. "We're moving somewhere safer, while Wiz -- he was Thirteen -- keeps trying to get through to our people."

"I noticed that," Qui-Gon said, low, his fingers catching on to Anakin's hand, letting the touch steady him a little more. He wanted to try to get up but was fairly certain he would be violently sick if he did any such thing. "And... somewhere safer?" 

"The cruiser broke up on landing -- you did wonderful, Master, and I live in awe of your Force ability -- but Padmé," and Anakin smiled at her, causing her to flush just a little, "got Points moving in the right direction. They were in the middle of the third wave of droids by the time I caught up, and helped them finish that one off. We were visited by a native, Rik'shali. I think they are still shadowing us, but I don't think they liked the idea of the way we are having to travel so openly. 

"After the fourth wave, I got us moving. The waves were coming in stronger numbers each time. I think the controller is on planet, and had sight of the cruiser." Anakin squeezed the hand he was holding gently. "I've plotted a slice that should let us intercept Obi-Wan, as he has not yet made it to us. I might have plotted his re-entry badly, though; he would have had more time to react, and possibly maneuvered."

He was not adding that he was pretty sure the Knight would have been more at risk for Force-drain. Qui-Gon didn't need to hear that.

"A native?" Qui-Gon asked, a little startled, even as the idea that he had been unconscious so long, and Obi-Wan was still not with them, sank deep knives into his chest. Instinctively, he reached for his bond to his beloved -- and this time he did cry out as that crystal-sharp pain scythed through his mind again, nearly blacking him out. "...that," he admitted, after a few moments of just breathing, "was stupid. No, Anakin, I'm all right. It just hurt." 

"I did warn you," his Padawan said cheekily. "But seriously, Master, I need you to try and sleep or at least rest. I managed a tiny nap after the fourth wave, but when we get where we're going, it's going to have to be you defending us," he said soberly. It was hard to admit, but he was exhausted, and only upright after winning his first ever argument with Padmé about them needing him ready along the march, because he'd be able to buy time to get Qui-Gon safely out of line-of-sight.

Qui-Gon studied him, knowing very well how exhausted and drained Anakin must be, to admit that much and he nodded slowly. "All right, Ani. I'll see what I can do about getting my strength back while we travel, then. 

"My very great thanks to whoever is currently hauling my bulk along," he added, a little louder, and heard the Queen laughing with a fresh flare of dismay. 

"You're welcome, Master Jedi," she said, from just past his head in front of him, confirming what he'd already guessed. "It's nice to be able to do something for you, every so often." 

Anakin chuckled at his Master. "The troopers insisted they could both carry and guard. Padmé won that round." He was amused. "They are at least trading off, since you have the prestige of being a giant," he added, just to tease lightly.

"Milady," Qui-Gon replied, rather than reply directly to his padawan, "can you recall, who was it that once claimed he would be taller than me, one day?"

"I think he's walking next to you, Master Jedi," she replied, "but please, do rest. We're all right, thanks to you." 

Anakin just laughed softly, and gave Qui-Gon another squeeze before bouncing back up to Points, needing to be fully aware of their path, and any threats. His Master would be fine! And that gave him all the energy he needed to keep going.


End file.
